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Tuesday, 2 May 2017

I haven't done much reading in the last couple months, so I thought I'd combine March and April Wrap-ups (also because of my complete lack of pre-planning posts). Easter was great because I actually got some reading done and it was such a perfect weekend to be inside and cozy, since we had a cyclone brewing. Lots of chocolate and cups of tea were had, and then it was back to working 50 hour weeks in our currently much understaffed practice, oh the vet tech life.

Finished

I really struggled with 'Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea'. It took me a long time to get through and I persevered, but it just wasn't for me. The story line wasn't very streamline and was just confusing in some parts. However there were some nice descriptions and details that highlighted the gothic-horror element of this book. I went into 'The Beast is an Animal' thinking it was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, only to find it definitely wasn't, but was pleasantly surprised by a fairytale unknown to me. The story held a wistful creepiness, and the prose was both haunting and enchanting.

'Saga Volume 7' was amazing as always, but every time a character dies whether they have only been newly introduced or around forever it gets me in the feels so unexpectedly. I read 'Owning the Beast' because a) it is a loose retelling of beauty and the beast and I LOVE beauty and the beast and b) I was just in the mood for some erotica *cough* romance.

Up Next In May

Other Favorites

So I have been in the mood to play an old school computer game that I've had since I was about 13 years, called Heroes of Might and Magic. All the nostalgia came back and even though in today's day and age the graphics are unbelievably bad and the game is 2D I still enjoyed it just as much as I use to.

I've also been trying to do some wedding planning this month, but I really haven't gotten far. I've essentially set up a page in my bullet journal for it and that's my extent. I keep getting lots of questions from friends and family about when we're getting married etc, but me and my significant other..lets call him 'BookMan' are super laid back and relaxed and aren't in any hurry. Plus the money that a wedding costs we would rather spend on travel and other things.

Monday, 17 April 2017

So I meant to
write this review much sooner than I have, mainly because I had so many
feelings and emotions after the movie. But sometimes giving myself time to
ruminate over those reactions can help me decide if they were just knee jerk
reactions or if they are constructive to my review. To start off full
disclosure, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney Princess movie of all
time so I feel slightly more critical.

Looks wise I
think Emma Watson fits the bill perfectly, I just can’t say I was overly impressed
with Emma Watsons acting. It just felt a bit off and quite stiff. In part this
could be to do with the fact that a lot of the time she would be acting
opposite a CGI character and that would be unimaginable awkward in more serious, emotional scenes.

I think it was
made even more evident in the end scenes where the beast is dying, I just
couldn’t feel it. I didn’t expect to be moved to tears or anything but her acting
felt insincere particularly in this scene and the animated movie just seemed to capture the pain and heartbreak much better.

The new songs
and fill in of the back story we missed in the Disney original was great. I
loved the little bits about the beasts past and explanation of how the village
had completely forgotten about the castle and its inhabitants. I particularly adored
the Beasts song ‘Evermore’ it had a Phantom of the Opera-esque feel to it, ‘Days
in the Sun’ and ‘How Does a Moment Last Forever’ were a delight as well. Of
course all the old favourites were present and delivered by some great talent
like Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson and Audra McDonald (I didn’t even know she
could sing!)

The Beast
himself, while obviously being CGI had some great voice acting done by Dan Stevens
and as I mentioned his solo song was impressive. Gaston and LeFou were very
good and the actors well chosen for their respective roles Gaston was the
epitome of arrogant and manly just as I remember him from the original movie. The
little nod at the end toward LeFou and his romantic preferences was endearing
and surprisingly brave in a Disney movie.

Overall, I was
impressed with the movie but I wasn’t in love with it. The original will always
hold a place in my heart that will be hard to replace, and there’s just
something about animated Belle and Beasts romance that is so much more believable
to me. Not to mention I’ve loved animated Beast since before I can remember,
and I still prefer him to the CGI beast (although Dan Stevens voice is
delicious and does give animated Beast a run for his money).

Lastly, it may have
something to do with the fact that I prefer my men ruff and rugged with beards,
but I’ve always liked the beast more before he got transformed into his princely
self (too clean shaven and boyish for me) and this especially holds true in the
animated version. Is that weird? Am I the only one who finds him less
attractive as a Prince? I need to know I’m not alone in this haha.

Sunday, 12 March 2017

And here we go sailing into March. I didn't get a lot of reading done in February, I blame the month for being short, but I also took some time out of my home town to soak up some of the last of the summer sun at the beach for a few weekends.

Normally that would mean a whole lot of reading for me and my introverted self, but the friends we stayed with are pretty outdoorsy and always need to be doing something (unlike me who is quite content with plonking myself on the sofa and reading the weekend away). So that meant a lot of time swimming at the beach, paddle-boarding and just generally being social in situations where pulling out a book to read may have been interpreted as rude.

A good time was still had all round and I definitely had a lot of fun (apart from my alabaster skin getting fried in the sun, which lucky with my genetics eventually faded into a nice tan).

Finished

Reboot and Rebel were a duology, which I was happily surprised by. It came out some time ago and I've had it on my TBR for a while now. I picked it up on a whim and was instantly caught up in the story. I'll have a review of both books out later this month. If you're looking for a diverse read, I highly recommend None of the Above. It was a greatly informational book while also being entertaining . You can find my full review here.

I managed to read A Walk to Remember in a day. While I wouldn't say its the most fast paced book, there is something delightfully charming about its story. However, I do prefer the movie adaptation than the book, same with The Notebook. Coming up for Air, is an ARC I was lucky enough to receive. It was probably my favorite book of the month and I have to say it is my favorite of the Hundred Oak series thus far, and I enjoyed it immensely more than her last release 'Defending Taylor'. (My Review for Defending Taylor can be found Here)

Up Next In March

Other Favorites

So I built a fort in my living room, because you know I'm 26 and live with my fiance in our own home, so why not? I mean it was a little embarrassing when his auntie showed up unannounced at our house, as you know we're suppose to be adults and all but pfftt. Basically we built the fort so we could watch telly and play playstation in it and that's basically what we did all weekend. (If you want to see a short video of what our fort looked like, it's on my Instagam :P)

So now I'm back into playing GTA 5, and I'm pretty close to clocking the games main story line. I've sunk a lot of my reading hours into this this past week haha but it's been so worth it and it's also helped with my anxiety quite a bit.

I've also started back into watching House. M.D after taking a little break. While I love the show, I feel that the story lines may be different but they do tend to follow the same formula of "This person is sick, they must have this. Treats for specific illness/disease. Oh no, they're not getting better, they must actually have this, lets treat them. Oh no they've gotten worse. Amazing spin at the end, where at the last minute the mystery is solved". Don't get me wrong, I do love the show, but there's only so much I can watch at one time, hence the hiatus for a little while.

So I meant to write this review much sooner than I have, mainly because I had so many feelings and emotions after the movie. But sometim...

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About Me

New Zealand

I'm a 23 year old veterinary nursing student, who already has a degree in human nursing, but decided she preferred furry critters better. I love reading YA books, although I do delve into the realms of other genres from time to time. I don't tend to bite unless provoked so feel free to friend me or send me some reading suggestions, I'd love to hear them :)